Shift of the Tide
by OriCinnamonOatmeal
Summary: The heat of war intermixes with limited medical procedures. Physical sacrifices are paired with mental ones as the Paladins and Atlas Teams plan to defend Earth. Kallurance, Kaxca, maybe Plance, and maybe a Shiro ship with an OC.


Summary: Battles have their casualties, Paladin and Lion alike. Even though I respect multiple ships and identities, this story will try to talk more to the physical and emotional sacrifice of the Paladins. Rated M for Mature because Mature topics rise in the process. Very brief chapters because I am not big on words- sorry! It was the cost of being in the medical environment and being a bit rusty. There is some artistic license there. Kallurance maybe Plance or Place and Kaxca. May try my hand at a Shiro relationship.

Shift of the Tide

Allura looked at Keith. Through his visor, she saw his violet eyes staring back at her. She felt her pulse quicken and his grip strengthen on her hand as he talked to her. The words, she couldn't make sense of his words. He tore his eyes away from her, and she felt the pressure on her right abdomen of her suit. The loudness of her surroundings came tearing into focus. Explosions that had sounded distant were now precariously close.

Allura remembered the explosion that rocked Blue. She put her hand down by her right side and looked at her fingers. They felt warm and wet like a thin syrup.

Her eyes widened, and she felt Keith pull her against him, his comms coming in through her helmet. She felt herself outside of Blue for a moment before travelling in the weightlessness of space, but hadn't she already been there? Things didn't make sense. She saw her hand and looked-up at Keith.

"Did Hunk make it?"

Keith's lips firmed together. And this she brushed his visor. He felt the shallowness of her breathing and her eyes becoming narrow.

"Allura stay with me."

Keith looked down at her, and saw a flat mat to the left of his visual screen. "Thanks, Black," he whispered.

Over the comms, Keith heard Pidge and Lance exchanging fire with their adversary. Pidge's face centered on the comms screen, "The Lions are equipped with a temporary medic hold until you can go below." Black rocked from a blast, and Keith laid her on the gurney. He removed the bandages from below. He'd need to stop her bleeding until she could be seen by surgeons.

"Come on, Allura-"Keith tore adhesive tape as he packed her wound with gauze. He set the tape against her abdomen and exhaled, hoping it would last, "stay with me." He said as the glass with a hologram came-up, and the table repositioned itself, sensing her weakening pulse. Her vitals read precariously low.

The Altean onslaught continued. "Atlas, we need coverage." Keith commed to the vessel. Two lions were hit. Most of blue lion had been defaced from pushing yellow out of the way of the oncoming radiation blast. Alpha team descended fresh into the battle and Atlas provided covering fire. The Altean robeast first taken-up by the steps and danced through the fire, unleashing another series of blasts. The lions darted around the gamma blast and entered Atlas. Medical personnel raced toward Keith as Black extended her jaw to allow them entry. The medical team removed Allura. Altean healing pods seemed so much more certain, but he needed to return to the fight. Yellow lion entered Atlas next, and he saw a team secure Hunk, who complained that he was okay until they performed a live reduction to his arm.

Still with his helmet on, Keith commed to Hunk "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, ow, yeah- I'll be okay. I'll keep an eye on her, too." Keith quickly heard Hunk quickly intake, "Knock it off, I'm fine. Yellow is … fine. Geeze, lay-off. I can walk there myself."

Shiro from Atlas' Bridge chimed into Keith's comm, "Keith we need you and Black back out there. Are Allura, Hunk, and their lions secure?"

Keith affirmed, nodding his head. "I'm heading out." Atlas rocked again. Accompanied by Cosmo, Keith loaded into black and adjusted his seat before exiting the hanger. He assessed the field. Lance and Pidge appeared to be playing a highly effective game of cat and mouse with the Altean, while Atlas took advantage of low points. Keith would try to subdue it from behind.

Four hours later…

"Debriefing in eight hours, get some rest team." Shiro said. Keith thought back to his rack. These attacks were random. They couldn't schedule rest and drills. His back ached from the interplay of offensive and defensive attacks.

"I'm heading to the med bay." Keith said without conveying emotion. As much as he respected Shiro's discipline for a warrior mentality, a med bag and some mending time would give him time to think about the team's strategy. Lance would be heading straight to respite and probably spend time with his family. Pidge would want to solve a puzzle. He could check-up on Allura and Hunk while he was there.

Shiro nodded, "Affirmative," and ended the comms.

Keith walked in the direction of the sick bay. His footsteps heavy against the composite floor. His head was down and he was rewalking the battle moves. As he approached the sick bay, he could hear shouts for blood. The chief resident, Dr. Gorma, was positioned at the Apex of Allura's head with an intubation tube. "Checking for obstruction, clear of obstruction, inserting, and secure."

An attending stood in the back listening to the resident's decision and delegation. One nurse hung a new bag, another grabbed bandages. The resident began to manually pump the bag. A nurse keyed open the second drawer of the cart, and the pharmacist soon followed with a long syringe.

The room was a mess of gauze and blood-soaked bandages. Instrument wrapping lined the floor. She wasn't moving on her own. There wasn't any resistance. He didn't realize he been tense in a stance from behind the visitor class as it went from translucent to opaque.

"Placing central line. Femoral visualized." He heard more crosstalk between members of the medical staff. A staff person raced out of the room. Tachycardia was beginning.

Hunk, his legs covered in the same dark red blood Keith had seen in his lion, came out of the room and saw Keith, "She just started vomiting. She was cracking jokes about Altean Wahvats and then doubled-over with some pain, and… and… I dunno, like can Alteans even use human blood? I know the synthesizer can make human blood, but what if it's like oil and water-"

Keith understood what Hunk explained and openned a communication to Atlas' bridge.

"Shiro, I need Coran and Romelle to the sick bay." He said flatly controlling his emotions. Keep focused on the task. Maybe Coran could provide some information to the medical team. It had to be better than flying in blind.

Two minutes later, a communication opened from Romelle. Romelle's face pinched and looked away, "I'm on my way."

Sacrifices for a Sister...

The next few hours passed in a bit of a blur. Lance and Pidge came down after being contacted by Hunk. They took turns alternating who slept and who stayed awake. Keith sat in the corner with his head looking down.

"We've got her stable for now," Dr. Gorma said as he sat next to Keith. "When her lion was struck, she sustained an injury to her lower right abdomen. It was above her pelvis and lacerated an area on humans that would be called the spleen. We repaired some of the damage to the spleen and managed to stem the bleeding. To help her body heal, we've induced a coma. We have her on medication right now so she does not remove the tube and keep her blood pressure elevated-"

Keith nodded, "Do you know when she'll be awake?"

"When her body can maintain its own rhythm and breathe on its own. We will be doing neurological checks on her every six hours in the meantime. Prior to this, she was alert and oriented. She will need rest but visits from friends can help."

The metallic smell of blood and disinfectant nauseated him. He hated hospitals. His dad hadn't died at one, but he had some vague memory of being in one. "Do you know when we can move her to the healing pod?" Keith asked, his head beginning to swim. Was she improving or as bad as the doctor was saying but not saying?

"Not until she is extubated, we are going to hold-off on transferring her to a different section of Atlas, but we will be moving her down the hall so that she can be in a sterile room while this one gets prepped for the next patient." Dr. Gorma nodded.

The doctor stood, as if to return to his duties and review the charts.

"Doc?" Keith asked.

"Yes-"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so, Captain Kogane. Even with the information we received from the COL, Alteans are still new to us. If you'd like, you can come back and see her."

Keith nodded his head and stood. Hunk slept in one corner, Pidge and Lance leaned on each other catching-up on their naps. A stack of containers sat next Pidge – Colleen must have brought them. He grabbed his helmet and noticed the two bits of dried blood crusted on the corner and bit his lip.

The resident walked forward and explained more of what Keith would see when he entered the room. "We've put a tube in her mouth and down her throat to help her breathe. She also has a catheter placed, so you'll see that as her body processes the fluid we give her."

A cotton blanket was draped over her torso and legs. Two techs were bringing in something that looked like a large inflatable. Keith looked down.

"Doc, why is her bag orange?" Keith pointed to the cath bag.

"We think she may have some continued bleeding."

Keith walked over and stood at a distance. He saw Allura, her silver-white hair splayed behind her. Her bare arms were limp in soft restraints, somewhere a chair appeared. Her eyes were mostly closed. His fists balled. Romelle arrived behind him. Dr. Gorma, again, reviewed pertinent information about Allura's condition, handling the bubble of Romelle's questions. _Why is there a snake in her throat and why is it wheezing? Why is she being restrained? She's not a criminal! What is that thing on top of her?_

Keith swiveled the chair closer to her head. "You probably already know this, but Hunk is okay," Keith whispered. Allura didn't respond. Keith recalled when Shiro was in the Altean healing pod. Keith moved the chair next to the bed and slid his hand into hers. Her hand was cool, but Keith's felt warm.

Allura's fingers moved against his palm.

"She's starting to breath over the ventilator, which is a good sign. It shows us that she wants to breathe on her own." Dr. Gorma stated.

Keith briefly closed his eyes and heard, "Keith." He closed his eyes, again. "Keith-" He was looking at her unconscious body, yet he could hear his name.

Lance's voice sounded in the background. "Hey! How's our favorite girl?" His encouragement chirped. Keith felt like Lance knew what to say when it came to Allura. He was always coming-up with sayings.

Keith turned to him, "I thought you were going to get some downtime with your family?"

"Yeah, I did, and Pidge mentioned that Hunk had mentioned Allura wasn't doing well."

Keith pulled his hand away and crossed his arms. "I bet you'll want to stay here with her."

Dr. Gorma looked over from Romelle. Allura resumed breathing with the click of the ventilator, her pulse returning to a normal sinus.

"Why don't you take a break?" Lance recommended.

"Sure, I, uh would like that." It wasn't Keith's place to comfort her. He was Captain, and she was a paladin.

"My Uncle Tito was in the hospital once. Everyone handled it differently. She'll be okay, Keith. _And,_ it wasn't your fault before you go all dark and broody on me. I will comms you when she wakes, but do me a favor and get some sleep? Pidge and Hunk, too."

"Sure thing, Lance…" Keith said.

"Captain Kogane?" Dr. Gorma questioned. "Please get some rest. Because of your work in the field, it gave us the chance to work with her soon. As Romelle stated, Altean blood is a little different than other species… because of their…" Dr. Gorma looked over himself for words, "it will be difficult to transfuse her. I can't risk taking her off the ventilator right now, but please be aware that I may call on you for assistance."

Keith exited the room. "Pidge, Hunk? Lance and Romelle are going to take the first shift. Hunk get some sleep. Thank you for staying with her, I'm sure you want to get cleaned-up yourself. I'll take the second shift. Coran will get the third shift, once he clears it with the Bridge."

A voice from behind Keith bellowed, "I can take second shift, and Coran is cleared for third."

Keith turned and looked at Shiro.

"You've been through a lot Keith, and it isn't over yet. Get the rest you can. Operating the lions is different than having a whole crew help you operate the Atlas."

Keith nodded his head, "Copy that."

Hunk got up and stretched, "Don't mind if I do. Smelling like Altean food goo is not on my list of priorities."

Pidge made gagging sounds behind him. As Keith and his crew began to exit the corridor, Keith half-turned and looked at Shiro.

"I'll make sure she's protected, Keith. She did what she had to do to safe Hunk out there. She has done that twice for me. The fury of war can make you forget who the villain is. We would not have survived the Galra without her. We would not have been able to teleport through space or take down Zarkon without her. Lotor used her against herself. Haggar will be no different. She will look for an opening, wherever that witch is and attack. She knows Allura is her largest adversary but also very young. It is not a weakness of a leader to see the vulnerabilities of their team, as long as you nurture their strengths and their development. It is how you approach it that matters."

"Shiro, how do you always know what I am thinking?" Keith asked.

"Being a young leader is a formidable path, it shapes how you lead and your strategic choices down the line. I had the fortune of Adam's support for a long time and other cadets. Those lessons were solidified when fighting in the ring, but I witnessed a lot of failure too, some of it my own." Shiro noted.

"Besides, I like your hair." Shiro ruffled his hair, breaking seriousness and composure.

"Yeah, whatever _sensei._ " He countered, giving grinning back. Shiro's taunt made him forget about the situation for a moment. He was the Paladin of the Black Lion, he was their leader. He had to make sure that their techniques were exceptional in battle. With the battles now coming to Earth, casualties to the local population seemed bigger, harder. The Galra and Alteans could attack anywhere on Earth and the response time to obtain the lions would still incur damage.

Keith didn't trust the military leaders to be the only ones to have the solutions, as it came to the lions storing them in one location could make them easy targets. He continued walking down the corridor until he reached the elevator. The debriefing would be unpleasant. The Garrison had military strategist, but he understood the lions and their capabilities. Right now, Earth was a tentative faction of some people welcoming surviving aliens from other planets, whereas others remained opposed and insisted countries return to their prior existing states and issue permits for visas on an alien-by-alien basis. It was not an easy time to be Galra, Altean, or from any other planet – all were viewed with suspicion.

The door slid open, and Keith felt his stomach drop. Two feelings collided at once. He saw Axca on the elevator and before his comms triggered, he felt his heart heave and quiet. Two more times, he felt it. Keith turned away from the elevator at a breakneck speed. He turned the corner.

Lance's comm chimed in, "Keith – Allura's coding- I, I-"

"I'm on my way, buddy." He heard the beeping and yelling of the medical team, and as Dr. Gorma yelled, "Clear!" He watched the technician press a button and heard a crackle.

He turned the corner and images pounded his mind. In his minds' eye, a single image of Allura filled his mind. "Keith-"and then, he saw images of himself through her eyes. Beneath his feet, he felt the soft planes of Arusian fields and smelled the juniberry flowers. She deserved rest. Her people, he could feel them around him.

"Please stay," Keith said. In the sea of Arusians, he saw her as they lauded her home. He put his hand in hers and whispered, again, "Please stay, Allura. We need you...I need you-"

I can never tell if my format to separate the sections of the story come through. Hope you enjoyed it!


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